Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education introduces diverse educational services to support Presidential Regulation on Out-of-School Children
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is supporting Presidential Regulation No. 3 of 2026 regarding the Prevention and Handling of Out-of-School Children (Perpres ATS) by developing various educational services to reach children at risk of, or currently not in, formal education.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, stated in Jakarta on Thursday that these services include single-roof schools in remote areas, distance learning, Community Learning Centre (PKBM) programmes through Package A, B, and C, open schools, and community-based inclusive education.
He added that digital transformation in education is a crucial instrument in supporting the eradication of the out-of-school children issue. Through the utilisation of technology and the strengthening of digital educational infrastructure, he continued, learning services can reach children facing geographical, economic, or social obstacles.
“We are making every effort to ensure this Presidential Regulation is implemented effectively. The government’s policy of educational digitalisation significantly assists in expanding educational services, including for children who cannot yet access formal schooling,” said Mu’ti.
“The paradigm we are building is not just based on ‘schooling’, but on ‘learning’ with a broader educational approach. Therefore, we are providing various educational services that allow every child to obtain their right to learn according to their conditions and needs,” he added.
Regarding the launch of the Presidential Regulation, he noted it serves as an important milestone in strengthening cross-sector and cross-level government coordination to prevent school dropouts. Furthermore, the ATS Presidential Regulation is a collective effort to reintegrate children who have been outside the education system into appropriate educational services.
This policy is also part of the implementation of the fourth ‘Asta Cita’ of President Prabowo Subianto and supports the realisation of the vision of ‘Quality Education for All’.
According to data from the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) by BPS-Statistics Indonesia, approximately 3.78 million children aged 6–18 are currently not in school. The majority are in the secondary school age group (16–18 years old), amounting to 2.48 million children. These figures are spread across various regions, including North Sumatra, Banten, DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, and Papua.